Not content with merely having the coolest voice on planet Earth, Morgan Freeman is also a real-life action hero. The 77-year-old actor and leading candidate for what God is probably like recently landed a malfunctioning plane four times while on his way to a movie premiere.
As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Freeman was on his way to the world premiere of his latest film, Ruth & Alex, in Canada, when he ran into trouble while in the pilot’s seat of his own jet. According to the actor, the plane began malfunctioning shortly after taking off from his Mississippi home.
“The slats would not retract in the air,” he recounted. “On the ground they were fine, but in the air they were a problem. We were about 10 minutes in the air trying to get them to retract but they didn’t so we went back and landed.”
Though the cool, calm and collected Freeman insisted he was “never in any danger”, the star was forced to land the plane a total of four times. “Once we got in the air, they still didn’t work again, so we landed,” Freeman told The Hollywood Reporter.
“We cycled them again, and took off, they still didn’t work, so we landed. Cycled them again, and took off, they still didn’t work so we went back. Had to put the plane away and take out the other plane,” he added.
However, in true suave, action hero style, Freeman had only one concern during the whole ordeal: “I just didn’t know how late I was.” Indeed, the actor was forced to attend the Toronto Film Festival premiere of his latest film 90 minutes later than scheduled.
Freeman is an experienced pilot who owns two personal planes and has held his pilot’s license for 12 years. As a young man, the star repaired radar equipment for the US Air Force.
Of course, the best part of all this is that we can all now imagine what it would be like to hear Morgan Freeman’s soothing voice caress our ear drums over the PA of an airliner.
